


The Game's Afoot

by kooili



Category: Holby City
Genre: Berena tbc, F/F, Ring-verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:46:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26302144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kooili/pseuds/kooili
Summary: Bernie hadn't really meant anyone to buy her a birthday gift from her Amazon wishlist. When Cam does, she has to make the best of it.Jason is delighted. Serena is baffled.A continuation of the Ring-verse universe.
Relationships: Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe
Comments: 11
Kudos: 59
Collections: Stories from the Ringverse, to be continued... (Berena Summer Sequel Event)





	The Game's Afoot

“So, what are you going to play first?” 

Bernie stared at the box, turning it over in her hands before looking up into the expectant eyes of her son.

“I’m not sure. Wasn’t expecting to get this in the first place, although it’s a nice change from the usual toiletries for my birthday,” she answered with a smile. 

Cam sighed. “You had it on your Amazon wishlist, mum. Don’t you remember putting it there?”

Bernie thought for a moment; she must have clicked on it a few weeks ago after thinking that it might be a good birthday present for Jason. “Of course I do. It’s a lovely gift, Cam,” she said, leaning over to give him a hug. “I’m sure I’ll have loads of fun with this.”

* * *

“How was dinner with Cam last night?” Serena asked, sipping her coffee. 

Bernie set down the plates of pancakes and lowered herself into the seat across from her wife. “It was nice seeing him again after he’s been away for so long. I think being abroad suits him.”

Serena smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. I wish I could have been there as well but one of us had to work.”

“And we missed you as well. He said that he’ll try and drop by the house the next time he’s back in Holby,” Bernie said, pushing the plate towards Serena. “You better eat up before this gets cold.”

Serena nodded and proceeded to drizzle maple syrup over the top of the pile. Bernie was about to start on her own breakfast when she was distracted by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.

“Good morning Auntie Serena. Auntie Bernie,” Jason announced as he entered the kitchen, heading straight for the cupboard where he kept his cereal. “Did you have a good birthday yesterday?” 

“Yes I did, Jason, thank you.” 

Jason nodded, satisfied. He poured the usual amount into a bowl and turned towards the fridge for his milk. He was about to retrieve it when something caught his eye. “Oh, you’ve got a Switch as well!” he exclaimed. “It is a very good console.”

Serena peered at the box Jason was pointing to and furrowed her brow. “Is that new?” she asked Bernie.

“Cam got it for me,” Bernie replied, causing the crease on Serena’s brow to deepen further. “I’ll explain later,” she said, mentally scratching her choice of gift for Jason off the list. 

Breakfast forgotten, Jason crossed the kitchen and took the seat next to Bernie. “What games have you got for it?”

“None yet,” Bernie admitted. “I’m not sure where to start.”

Jason’s eyes brightened - they had obviously stumbled upon a favourite topic of his. “I’ll write down a list of ones you should get.” A quick search in the kitchen drawers produced a notepad and pen and Jason was soon scrawling away while his aunties ate breakfast. Bernie peeked at the list he was making, her eyes widening as it grew. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Serena’s amused expression as she watched her two favourite people.

“There,” Jason said, finally finishing. “I have all of these games so you can be assured that they are all good.”

Bernie ran her eyes down the substantial list. “Uhm, I don’t think I’ll have the time to play all of them. Which one would you get, if you were just getting one?”

Jason pursed his lips thoughtfully. “You’ll not take full advantage of the console if you just get one but I suppose you’d better start with something easy since you’re inexperienced. Get this one,” he said, pointing at the first item on the list. If you buy that online, I can help you set it up after lunch.”

* * *

Serena stretched and yawned. The clock on her bedside confirmed it was still early but the bed beside her was empty. Strange, she thought: she didn’t remember Bernie saying anything about going out for a run. She lay very still, pricking her ears for any kind of sound in the house indicating that Bernie might be in one of the other rooms. 

Nothing. 

She was about to rest her eyes for a little longer when a twittering sound caught her attention. Serena listened carefully again and yes, there it was again. Definitely high pitched twittering coming from the study next door. Sitting up and swinging her feet onto the floor, Serena quickly pulled on her robe and proceeded to investigate. 

“Bernie?” Serena called out, pushing the study door open, 

Bernie swivelled around in the chair and looked up. “Good morning, love. You’re up early,” she said, setting the Switch down onto the desk. 

“I was about to go back to sleep when I heard a noise. Like a chattering sound?

“Oh, I was just talking to Tom about my loan,” Bernie explained. “I’ll keep it down if you want to go back to sleep.”

Serena nodded her thanks, not awake enough to try and understand what Bernie had just told her. It was an odd time to be speaking to her bank manager, though. Unless Bernie had an offshore account she knew nothing about. Serena headed back to the bedroom, making a note in her head to ask later when she was properly awake. 

* * *

“I disagree. I think it should be more than just scallops. Look,” Jason said, scrolling to a page on his tablet. “A sea otter's diet consists mainly of slow-moving fish and marine invertebrates including crabs, sea urchins, abalones, clams, mussels, and snails,” he quoted. “Pascal shouldn’t just appear for scallops and limit his chances for obtaining his dinner.”

Bernie opened her mouth to make her argument about how the game needed to have a task-specific trigger in order to make it a challenge before she decided otherwise. Jason made sense and any further debate would only mean going round in circles with someone whose persistence outlasted hers every single time. 

“Maybe they’ll think about that for the next update,” she finally said.

Serena walked in with mugs of coffee and set them onto the low table in front of the sofa. “Next update of what?” she asked.

Jason looked up from the screen and answered. “We’re just talking about Pascal and his scallops.”

If Serena thought that his reply was both random and unexpected, her expression did not betray it at all. “That sounds interesting,” she replied.

“He prefers them to the other shellfish and Jason thinks he should have a larger selection available,” Bernie chipped in. 

Serena nodded and sat down with her coffee. She didn’t think that her wife and nephew shared an interest in fishmongers but stranger things had happened.

* * *

“Have you seen Ms Wolfe?” Serena asked as she leaned up against the counter of the nurses’ station. “I’ve been looking all over for her.”

“I think I saw her in one of the treatment rooms earlier,” Fletch said.

Serena shook her head. “They’re both empty.”

“How about the locker room?” Raf offered. “Wasn’t she in the theatre with that abdominal laceration from the accident?”

“Surgery finished more than half an hour ago,” Serena sighed. “We were going for lunch but won’t have enough time if she doesn’t turn up soon.”

“I think I can help,” Morven said, catching the last part of the conversation as she approached the desk. She checked the time again before continuing confidently. “She’ll be in the Peace Garden.”

Serena nodded her thanks and was about to head for the elevator when she paused. “How do you know this, Morven?”

“It’s half eleven and there’s a big spike until noon. I’ll bet that you’ll find Jason with her as well.”

True to her word, Serena found the pair sat on one of the benched, head hunched over identical devices.

“There you are,” Serena greeted as she stepped onto the cobbled path. “I thought we were having lunch together, Bernie.”

Bernie shoved the device into her bag and nodded. “I haven’t forgotten. Just getting a couple of chores done before we head to Pulses. Are you all done as well, Jason?”

The young man nodded. “That was a decent profit this week. I think we should buy at least four thousand turnips this week.”

Serena’s eyes widened at the number. She had been persuaded to give up the back part of her garden so that Bernie and Jason could turn it into an allotment and was now a little apprehensive. She liked turnips well enough but not shedfuls of them.

* * *

“Yes, Jason. I’m definitely sure,” Bernie said into her mobile. “I wouldn’t forget June’s birthday for anything in the world. She’s my favourite.”

Serena’s ear pricked up and she was definitely more interested in Bernie’s conversation with Jason than the book she was reading. 

“Did you see that shirt she was wearing yesterday? It suits her so well. Even without pants on.”

The book was fully abandoned now. Serena put it aside and turned to look at her wife. Her fingers reached for the chain around her neck and twirled the ring it held at its lowest point. Bernie caught the movement out of the corner of the eye and her expression froze. It was an old habit Serena had and it almost always signalled that there was something they needed to talk about. And it usually didn’t bode well to delay the inevitable.

“Look Jason, it’s getting late and I need to go. We’ll talk about this when you’re home tomorrow, okay?”

Bernie hung up the phone and faced Serena fully. “Is something wrong?”

“Perhaps,” Serena answered, the twirling increasing in speed. “Is there something or someone you need to tell me about?”

Bernie furrowed her brows and thought hard before shaking her head. “I can’t think of anything right now.”

“What is going on between you and June?”

Bernie’s face was a picture of surprise. She ran a hand through her messy curls, the light from the lamp bouncing off the burnished metal of the band around her ring finger. 

“June?”

“Yes, June. And while you’re thinking about it, perhaps you’d care to explain the amount of time you’ve been hiding away in the study in the middle of the night talking to your bank manager. Turning our garden into a farm. All of that!” The floodgates were open and Serena wasn’t holding back.

A long moment passed, the pieces started falling into place and Bernie had to try very hard not to laugh. Somethow, she knew that would be an unfortunate mistake and very likely detrimental to her health if she did.

“Serena,” she said, as evenly as she could. “Instead of explaining, let me show you.” 

Bernie pulled the Switch up from the floor and turned it on. Serena shifted closer so that she could see the screen as the theme music played before it turned into the picture of a house by the beach with a blonde figure in front of it holding a star-shaped net. 

“That’s you!” Serena remarked. “It even looks like the clothes you normally wear,” she commented, as Bernie twirled the figure round to show off a white vest coupled with camo shorts. 

“Yes. I have neighbours on this virtual island. I’ve named it for the both of us,” Bernie said, as she virtually ran along a path. “And, this...” she continued, stopping in front of an animal, “...is June. She’s a bear cub villager.”

“Oh, she’s adorable!” Serena exclaimed and then stared a little harder. “Even though she doesn’t wear pants.”

Bernie laughed lightly. “There’s a lot more to the island. Do you want to have a look round?” Bernie asked, handing over the console. A few quick instructions later, Serena was exploring the island, engrossed, her annoyance completely forgotten. 

“I could build you a house on the island you know. So you can play with your own character.”

The suggestion caught Serena’s attention and she looked up excitedly. “And I can dress them up just like yours?”

Bernie nodded.

“I’m sold,” Serena said, handing the console back to her wife. “Go on then, build me a house on _Berena_.” A thoughtful look crossed her face as Bernie got to work. “I wonder if they have anything in leopard print at the shop…”


End file.
